Amusement device



Nova 27, 1951 W, c o so 2,576,852

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed May 2, 1946 2 SHEET$SHEET l INVENTOR. WILLIAM H.NICHOLS N ATToEA/EY Nov. 2?, 1951 W. H. NICHOLSON AMUSEMENT DEVICE 2SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May 2, 1946 INVENTOR. WILLIAM NtcflopsollATTQEAJEY,

loZ l l 87 Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

' vide an amusement device having a stationary structure including anormally concave track and a body supported for rolling movement alongsaid track, together with means for temporarily changing the normalconcave configuration of the track.

A further object of the invention is to provide an amusement devicehaving a passengercarrying body simulating a, marine craft or vesseladapted for arcuate movement relative to a base by which it issupported.

Another object of the invention is to provide n amusement deviceincluding a passenger-carrying body movable relative to a stationarysupporting structure in an arcuate path whose chord is horizontal,together with means for moving the body to one end of its arcuate pathof movement.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will beapparent from the following description and claims, taken in accordancewith the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an amusement device constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational View of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a modified form of amusement deviceincorporating novel features of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the structure of Figs. 3 and 4,with a portion of the structure at the bottom of the figure broken awayfor the sake of clearness, and with auxiliary structure included; and,

Fig. 6 is a view, taken along the line VI--VI of Fig. 5, looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, and particularly to Figs.1 and 2, the reference character It indicates, in its entirety, anamusemer t device comprising a base H, a frame I-2,

and a passenger-carrying body I 3 mounted on the frame for arcuatemovement relative to the frame and base.

Preferably, the base I l comprises a pair of parallel spaced-apart railsl4 secured on a plurality of cross ties l5, likewise disposed inparallel relation to one another and at right angles to the pair ofrails M.

The frame l2 may include any desired number and arrangement of uprightsl1 and braces 16 and it, the primary element thereof being a pair ofspaced parallel overhead rails [9 carried by the remainder of the framestructure in parallel relation to the lower rails M of the base H. Theupper surface of each rail 19 is formed with a pair of identicalconcavities, as at 20, and on which are adapted to roll wheels 2!carried by trucks 22. In the construction herein illustrated four trucks22 are utilized, each truck carrying two wheels 2|, with each of thefour trucks cooperating with a different one of the four concavities 28provided by the two double-concaved rails I9.

Each truck 22 carries a heavy coil spring 23 providing a resilientsupport for a link or rod 24 depending therefrom, the lower ends ofthese rods being connected to the passenger-carrying body i3, as at 25,whereby the latter is supported through the rods, springs, trucks, andwheels for arcuate rolling movement on the overhead rails 19. It will beapparent that, due to the doubleconcave form of the surface on which theWheels 2| roll, the body it will move in an arcuate path, simulating theswinging motion obtained in the conventional lawn chair type of swing.

Preferably, the passenger-carrying body 3 is constructed to simulate avehicle of the common carrier type, for example, a railroad freight car,passenger car, box car, caboose, street car, subway car, bus, deliverywagon, ambulance, fire engine, etc.

in the construction herein illustrated, a street car has been shown,having a pair of parallel side members 30 supporting a fiatform 3|. Sidewalls 32 and end walls 33 define a passengercarrying space, which iscovered by the roof 34. Guard rails 36 are provided at the outer ends ofthe front and rear platforms, and entry to the passenger-carrying spacefrom either plat,- form may be had through doorways 31 in the end walls33. Seats (not shown) may be provided within the passenger-carryingspace, and the side and end walls may have windows 38 and 3.9,respectively,

A pair of leg 4| depend from each end of the body I3 beneath theplatform BI, in overlying relation to the pair of rails I4 of the baseII. Each leg il terminates in a brake shoe 42 normally spaced from theupper surface of the rail I4 which it overlies. This spacing is suchthat, upon overloading of the body I3 with consequent compression of thecoil springs 23 in the body suspension mechanism, th brake shoe 42 willengage the surface of the rails when the body is in the mid position ofits arcuate path of travel, thereby retarding or preventing movement ofthe body until the overloading condition has been corrected.

The body I3 includes two pairs of flanged wheels 45 adapted to roll onthe rails It throughout the arcuate travel of the body. To this end thewheels are carried at the free ends of arms 46 whose opposite ends arepivotally mounted on the depending legs M; as at 4? (Fig. 1). As thebody rises and descends relative to the rails I4 during its arcuatetravel, the wheels G5 remain on the rails and serve to guide the bodyand to prevent side sway or side swing thereof.

Travel of the supporting trucks 22 on the overhead rails It may beconfined within safe limits by the provision of stops &8 at the ends ofthe rails.

In Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, there is shown a modifled construction ofamusement device utilizing the same motion principle of double-arcuaterails, but embodying a different body construction and additional novelfeatures, to be described.

In this embodyment the body 55 is constructed to represent a ferry boat,including a fioor or deck 5I, end rails 52, side walls 53, and a roof 54coveringthe space between the side walls. The sides may have windows 55therein, and various auxiliaries common to ferry boats may be provided,such as the side paddle wheels 5?, walking beam 58, stack 55, whistle5B, pilot house EI and searchlight 62.

In this embodiment the overhead rails and their supporting frame areomitted, and a pair of double-arcuate rails are positioned below thebody 55, the latter having wheels 63 carried by legs as and adapted toroll on the arcuate upper surfaces of the rails (Fig. 3).

The base it, which includes the double-arcuate rails, supporting posts"H and i2, and cross braces pair of wheels 63. The righthand sections ofeach pair, as viewed in Fig. 5, and numbered and 82, are pivoted at oneend to supporting posts '5 I, with their other ends 8 5 and 85,respectively, movable from a raised position shown by dot-dash lines toa lowered position shown in full lines (Fig. 5). With the sections 8i?and 82 in raised position, the body 55 will be constrained to move in anarcuate path, while upon lowering of the rail sections and 82 the body55 will move to the extreme right, as viewed in Fig. 5, and remain thereuntil the sections 85 and 82 are returned to raised position.

Raising and lowering of the rail sections 80 and 82 may be accomplishedby any suitable means, for example, by reciprocation of the rod 87through movement of the lever 88 between two positions. Rod 8? isconnected, through crank arms 89, with transverse shafts supported byposts I2 and carrying arms 92 connected to the ends M and 85,respectively, of the rail sections Si? and 82. Each shaft 55 will carrytwo arms $2 to operate the movable sections at each side of the base It.It will be apparent that as the lever 88, which is pivoted intermediateits ends to a fixed support QI carried by the base Iii, is moved fromits full line position to its dotdash line position (Fig. 5), the rod531 connected to the lower end of lever 88, will be moved to the right,as viewed in Fig. 5, with consequent counter-clockwise rotation of theshafts 9d and the arms 92 carried thereby, this counter-clockwiserotation of the arms 92 relative to the axis of rotation of the shafts96 raising the rail sections 80 and 82 to their dot-dash positions,whereupon normal arcuate movement of the body 54'] may be resumed.

The ferry boat apparatus may include a dock or pier, indicated in itsentirety by the reference character I59, and including a fioor I5 I siderails I52, gang plank I63, vertical piles IE5, and wind lass I55 bywhich the ferry boat body 5i] may be made fast to the clock. The dock issupported on legs or posts I51, equipped with wheels 558 adapted to rollon rails I59 integral with the 13, preferably is covered at the sideswith canvas,

papier-mach, or other suitable material which is painted to representwater or waves, as at I4 (Fig. 3) The body 55 likewise carriesconcealing side boards 55 depending from the deck or floor 5 I, andpainted to simulate waves.

It is believed that, with the active imaginations of child users, thearcuate motion of the body 59 will seem like the motion of a boat on thewater, and this similarity will be furthered by use of the novel meansprovided by the invention, for changing the arcuate motion to a dockingmotion.

To this end-each double-arcuate rail structure is made up of foursemi-arcuate sections, three of these sections being shown at 85, BI and82 in Fig. 5. In the following description the rail structure at onlyone side of the apparatus is described, for the sake of clearness andsimplicity, it being understood that the rail structure at the otherside is similar.

The rail sections ti and 82 normally cooperate to provide one arcuatetrack for a pair of wheels 53, while the rail section til cooperateswith another section, similar to 8| but not shown, to provide the secondarcuate track for. a second base "E9. The dock legs iii? are connectedto the rod 87, with the result that as the lever 88 is moved from itssolid line position to its dot-dash line position (Fig. 5), the dock isrolled to the right and away from the ferry boat, so that there will beno danger of children being pinched between the dock and ferry boatduring normal arcuate movement of the latter.

While the invention has been shown in a plurality of forms, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but issusceptible of various changes, modifications and applications withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

Support for a wheeled vehicle comprising, a base including a pair ofparallel rail structures. each of said structures including a pair offirst members having concaved upper surfaces and a pair of secondmembers also having concaved upper surfaces, the concaved upper surfacesof said first and second members normally coopcrating to provide pairsof arcuate upper surfaces whose chords are horizontal, said arcuatesurfaces being adapted for reciprocatory rolling of a wheeled vehiclethereon in an arcuate path, pivot means supporting said second membersat their ends adjacent their cooperating first members, and meanssupporting the other ends of the second members for limitedswingingmove.-

ment about the axes of said pivot means in the vertical longitudinalplanes of the respective rails to a position where the cooperating uppersurfaces of the first and second members provide pairs of surfacesinclined throughout their lengths, whereby movement of a wheeled vehiclethereon is other than arcuate.

WILLIAM H. NICHOLSON.

REFERENCES CITED Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Libbey Feb.14, 1893 Timby May 2, 1893 Van Kannel Mar. 4, 1902 Van Kannel Nov. 19,1907 Vaszin Sept. 16, 1924 Lydecker Aug. 4, 1925

